Claims Study FAQ

What are the product safety requirements?

Your product must be safe for use as directed. If safety certification is required for your product type for sale in the US, it must be certified. In addition, our policy requires the product to have been on the market (for sale in any country) for a minimum of 1 year, with a minimum of 1000 sales.

Can I send smaller, sample-size products?

It’s important that the tested product accurately represents what your actual customers would buy. Sample sizes can be used if the product and the method in which it’s dispensed and used aren’t different from the product your final claims will apply to.

Do I need to package my product specially for the study?

No, you can send us the product samples in their normal packaging if it’s most convenient for you.

How do you prepare the product samples?

To reduce possible bias, we perform a “blind study“, meaning the subjects will not know what product they are using. We do this by covering any parts of the product or packaging that identifies the brand, the product’s intended benefits, or any other marketing messaging.

What instructions will be given to the subjects?

We will create special usage instructions based on your product’s existing instructions, with the addition of clarifications to ensure compliance. You will be asked to review and approve the instructions before the trial begins.

How are subjects selected?

Packages A & C: members of our participant database who match the study requirements are invited to participate.

Package B: A survey is first administered to members of a national respondent panel to assess purchase intent for the specific product. Those with high intent and who match the study requirements are invited to participate.

Subjects also complete a separate screening questionnaire and sign an informed consent form. Subject records are maintained confidentially by us.

How should I choose my claim topics?

Consider the key benefits your customers seek from your product, and how you plan to use the claims in your advertising. You could cluster your claims around the main benefit and select the best claim result for final use, or test a variety of different benefits.

How are final claims worded?

For user perception testing, claim statements simply reflect the percentage of users that agree with each benefit. For example: after using the product, subjects may be asked how much they agree with the statement, “your hair is more manageable“. The percentage of respondents who “agree” or “strongly agree” to that statement will be reported in the claim statement, such as: “83% of users reported their hair was more manageable.” The exact wording can depend on product type and other study parameters.

What if the results aren’t good?

HIT Laboratories research has shown the claims may still have advertising value when as few as 50% of users noticed a benefit. Marketers are not obligated to publish or disclose any perception testing results.

Where can I use my claims?

Generally, your new claims can be used in any advertising for your product, provided the product has not changed substantially since the test. However, regulations pertaining to making advertising claims depend on country and advertising medium. We recommend seeking legal advice whenever making advertising claims.